Ernest marie du boys



ERNEST MARIE DIT BOYS, kOF PARIS, FRAN-GE.

Letters Patent No. 82,812, dated October 6, 1868.; mtedated May 9, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN LIQUID-METERS.

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'ro ALL WHOM 1T MAY CONGERN:

Be it known that I, Ennns'r MARIE DU Boys, of Paris, in the Empireof France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Meters, or apparatus for gauging the volume of water or'other liquid iiowing under pressure through pipes or other channels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, andtothe letters of reference marked thereon.

I he invention consists in an improved construction of liquid-meters, or apparatus for gauging or measuring and registering the volume of water or other liquid flowing, eitherunder a constant or a variable pressure, through pipesor other channels, either continuously or intermittingly, the apparatus being, however, principally intendedfor gauging water for the supply of cities or other localities, of steam-boilers,'or for-other analogous purposes, iu consequence of which I will in this description more particularly relate'to water-meters.

In the annexed drawings, two descriptions of meters are shown, viz, a rocking or-oscillatory and a ii-xed one, both acting, however, on the same principle, and having their principal parts constructed inthe saine manner.l

Figure 1 represents an outside or elevation vie-w of the oscillating meter,l of which Figure 2 shows a horizontal sectional view.

Figure 3 is a front, and

Figure 4 a side elevation view ofthe xed meter, of which Figure 5 represents a vertical sectional view.

Figure 6 shows` an outside view of an arrangement for preventing the concussion arising at certain moments 'from'the hydraulic shock. j

The Figures 7 and S respectively show a longitudinal and a cross-sectional view of a 'slide-valve, which may replace'the cock, hereafter to be described.

In these figures, the samelletters of reference relate to corresponding parts. y

Both `apparatus consist of, irst, a shallow gaugingvessel or gauger, A, the interior of 'which is divided into two chambers or compartments by, second, 'a diaphragm,iD, moving to and fro in the gaugerA; third, a reversing or distributing-cock, R, which, if wished, might be replaced by a -slide-valve, K, and which cock or valve servesfor putting alternately lone of the compartments of the gauger in communication with the entrance-pipe G, for admitting the water to'be gauged iutothe meter, and the opposite 'compartment with the delivery-pipe H, for 'allowing the gauged water to take its exit from the meter; fourth, a balance-weight to be liftedor a spring to be bent by the eect of the diaphragm D, when this latter is moved forward in consequence ofthe pressure of the-water entering into the meter, which weight is set free, or which spring relaxes as'the diaphragm is completing its stroke, and, by means ofthe cock or slide-valve, procures the reversing of the-conditions ofentrance and exit of thewater into and from the gauger; fifth, a counter or index, suitably connected to and worked by the diaphragm, the cock or'slide-valve, or any othersuitable part having a regular motion imparted to it, and whichicounter is provided with dials, or other suitable means for indicating and registering the number of times the gauger, the capacitylof which has'been duly ascertained, has been illed and emptied.

I mus-t at once observe here that, in my improved meters, the gauging-vessel -A and its diaphragme act in amanner similar to that of ya pump-cylinder and its piston, by which they might even be replaced, without virtually altering the principle of working of the apparatus, but the shape of gauging-*vessel shown inthe drawings, and its movable diaphragm, offer the advantage of not giving rise to any resistance worth mentioning, and consequently to any noticeable loss of pressure in the liquid -to be gauged, besides which they oier perfect' tightness, and are of the most simple and easy construction.

` The gauging-vessel or gauger A is formed of two shallow shells, A1 and A2, of cast iron or other suitable metal, and of exactly the same shape and size. By preference, the Ashape of these shells is that of a hollow truncated' cone, 1, 2, 3, 4, provided with a calotte or spherical part, 5, and abroad rimjor flange, a, by means Each o t' the shells A1 and Az has an orifice, a',

of which rims they are bolted together perfectly water-tight.

respectively,

for the entrance and exit oi` the 'water into and from thc gauger, the said `orifices communicating, by means of the pipes lil1 and E2, with the cock R, (or with the slide-valve K, in case this latter is made'use of insteadof the cock R,) for distributing or reversing the conditions of entrance and exit of the water into and from the gauger A. i l

'The diaphragm D consists of a central rigid disk, d, of cast iron or other suitable metal, connected watertight all round to a cap or hollow truncated cone, d', of India rubber, greased leather, or other suitable supple, impervious material, which will yield, withoutcxtcnding or contracting, to 'the pressure ofthe water, and apply itself alternately and lit exactly against the conical part, "l, 2, 3, 4, of each shell, the larger peripheryor basis of the c ap d being inserted and held in a solid and perfectly water-tight manner between the flanges or rims a of the two shells.

Av rod, T, working in smiling-boxes c, provided opposite to each other in the central part of the calotte of each shell, passes through and is fixed in the centre of the disk-d, and serves as a guide for the diaphragm, when this latter is moved alternately from one shell into the other. v

rlhe principle of working of the apparatus may now be easily understood. Supposing the 'gaugcr to be illed with water, and consequently the diaphragm applied againstthe conical part 1, 2, 3, 4, and calotte 5 oi' one of the shells, and if in that moment the cock R'puts this shell in connection with Athe entrance-pipe G, and consequently the opposite shell with the delivery-pipe H, it is evident that, in consequence of the watcrhead, the' pressure of the water on' that side of the diaphragm facing the entrance-port, exceeding that on the opposite side ,of the diaphragm, this latterwill be caused to advance towards the shell connected with the deliverypipe, and thereby expel ,the water from this shell, and carry this water into'the exit-main until the diaphragm, completing its stroke, becomes applied against' the-inner surface of this latter shell. 'lhe water required for filling the gauger, and which is at its turn to beexpelled therefrom at the next or return-stroke ofthe diaphragm, will now be situated on one side only of this latter, and if, in this moment, the reversing of the communications of the shells respectively with the entrance and delivery-pipes is procured by means of the cock or the slidevalve, the diaphragm will at once begin its return-stroke in exactlythe same manner as just explained'for its advancing stroke, and a constant volume of water will' consequently, at each stroke of the diaphragm, be allowed to enter into the gauger by one of the shells, and anequal volume be expelled therefrom by the oppo site shell, which volume will be entirely independent from the pressure, .theloss of pressure resulting from the resistance oieredby the friction of the guide-rod T in its stalling-boxes being too small to be worth'noticc.

I will now describe in what manner the reversing of the entrance'and exit-conditions for the liquid to be gauged is obtained by the cock or the slide-valve, and these latter actuated by the eect of a weight, or, if wished,^by that of a spring. i,

In the apparatus represented in'the figs. l and 2, the moving-weight consists of that of the diaphragm D and its rod T. The gauger A oscillates between two standards, by means of two trunnions, situated diametrically opposite to each other, one of which trunnions forms the distributing or reversing-cock R, turning in its seat-R1, which forms bearing, and is provided with the ports,'g and zLrespectively leading into the entrance-pipo G and the delivery-pipe H.

Y In the other apparatus the gauger A is fixed, and the moving-weight l? consists of a sort oi`pei1dulum weight, situated at the outside of tlie gauger. This latter apparatus is more particularly intended for large Y water-meters. I will successively describe both apparatus. .Y

Oscillating Apparatus.

The seat R1 of the cock R leads', by its ports grand hin the entrance and deliigery-pipes G and H, which form one of the standards of the apparatus. The c'ock itself is hollow, and, by means of a partition, R2, divided into two compartments, Mand N, forming respectively the continuationofpthe pipes E and E?, so as respectively to connect or-fe of thc compartments with one shell ofhe gauger, and the other witl1 the opposite shell, Each Aoi' these compartments has twolways,'m and ml and n and nl, situated in such manner that if one of the ways, for instance, that, m, of the compartment M,lis made to correspond with the port h of thc seat R', `the .i corresponding way n of the'opposite compartment connects this latter with the port g. 'lhesc ports and ways are all of the same size. The parts fm,2 and n2, respectively situated between the ways m and m1, and those, n and u,vof the cock` R, are a little larger than these ways, in order that, during a certain moment inturning the cock, the whole of the ports and ways be covered, so as to prevent in that moment any direct communication toiexist between the entrance and the delivery-pipes, in order to obtain the same effect asis in certain moments produced by the covering ofthe steam-ports by the slide-valves of steam-engines, in which moments the arrangement represented in fig. 6, and hereafter to be explained, serves for preventing the concussion which otherwise would result from the hydraulic shock. v

It will be easily understood how, by this arrangement of thecock E and the mode of working of the diaphragm D, the two compartments of the gauger A will be simultaneously put in communication, one of them with the entrance-pipe G, and the other with the delivery-pipe H, and also in what manner the reversing of the communications is produced by the reciprocating rotary4 motion imparted to the cock It in'consequcnce of that of the gauger', of which latter this cock forms part.- t

If, firstly, the reciprocating or' oscillating motion of thegauger A causes this latter to be putl alternately in the required inclined or angular positions; secondly, the oscillatingl parts of' the'apparatus be equilibriatcd. in such manner that, `on the diaphragm reaching the middle 'of its stroke, its centre of gravity be situated'on the axis-of rotation; and thirdly, the weight of the diaphragm D and its rod T Vbe such that onreachingthc end of their strokes they procure the-turning of the gauger A, and overcome the resistance offered to its oscillation, the return motion ofthe gauger will be produced automatically. at each time. the diaphragm D is coml pleting its stroke, in consequence of which an uninterrupted flow of waterthrough the gauger A will be kept up as long as the entrance and exit-pipesremain open. n

But, as ,the apparatus requires, also, to afford an exact measurement of the volume of water passed through the gauger,it is necessary each oscillation should correspond with the delivery of a constant quantity of liquid;

it is 'consequently required the moving-weight should cause the returnulstrok'e or return-oscillation of the gauger l to begin always exactly on the very moment the diaphragm reaches'the end of its stroke.

In order to insure this, a metal nut, z, 'is screwed on each end-of' the rod T, which nut, after each stroke or oscillation of the gauger, enters into a slot, V, fixed on the bed-plate of the apparatus in the direction of the axis of rotation, andv serving as a guide for the nut z, which latter is prevented from quitting the slot V before reaching the end of this latter, and which quitting takes place at the moment the diaphragm D reaches the end of its stroke. During the time the nut z is enga-ged in the slot V, the gauger A will consequently be prevented from turning, even in case the leverage of the moving-weight could otherwise procure this turning; but immediately the nut leaves the slot V, the apparatus is set free, and the rocking or oscillation takes place.

In igs. 1 and 2, the rod -T protrudes at both ends of tlieapparatus, and each end of the rod has a nut, z. Both nutsare to enter, in turn, in the groovesV and V1, situated symmetrically opposite to each other. The rod,-T, however, might be arranged in the manner as shown in gs. 3 and 5,1 for the fixed meter, viz, protrude only with one of its ends instead of with both, in'which case the slots YV and V" ought to be situated both at the same side of the apparatus, one above and the other below the horizontal planevpassing through `the centre of rotation.

The weight ofthe rod/T audits nuts z, added to thatof the diaphragm, form,together, the moving-weight. The nuts z are movable, so as to allow of being set more or less far from the axis of rotation, and-thereby regulate the leverage or momentum of the gauger.

Two elastic buffers, X and X1, serve for checking the motion of the gaugerat the end of each oscillation.

The various parts of the apparatus are carried by a suitable bed-plate, W.

Fixed Apparatus.

In the fixed apparatus, represented in the figs. 3, 4, and 5, the gauger A is Akept fixed. y The seat Rl ofthe reversing-cock' is provided with four parts, g, h, el, and e, andthe cock R with four ways, m, ml, n, and nl, of equal size, and leading, respectively, into the entrance and delivery-pipes G and Hjand by the pipes El and E2 into the two shells, Al andAz, of the gauger. The cock R is divided -into two compartments, M and N, by the longitudinal partition R2, soa-s to allow of alternately connecting each shell with the entrance-pipe G, and the opposite shell with the. delivery-pipe H. 'The axis, o, of the cockl has a crank-armj', connected to a rod, F, provided `towards its free endwith a tappet, g, which, bythe effect of a spring, gli, andfriction-roller g2,.is pressed against the curved end orarcps, ofan arm,s, fixed to 'an arbor, o, situated parallel to the axis o of the cock R, and turning in bearings lin the brackets o. To the arbor ol are also fixed two other arms, t and p.' The arms and t form' together a bell-crank lever, s t. The free' end'of the armvp carries a balance-weight, P, which,

may be set more or less far on the armp. The are s' is a little swollen out or eccentric towards theV middleof its length, so as to project. upwards a little beyond tbefree end f the tappet To the end of the rod T-is ixed'a cross-piece, e, and the axis of the arborel is situated exactly above the middle ofthe full length of stroke which this cross-piece e performs during 'theto-and-fro motion of the diaphragm D, The lower end of the arm t is made into a fork, t', for the rod T to work in, whilst the'crosspiec e, in pressing alternately against one o r the opposite side ofthe fork t', will drive the arm t alternately forward and backward, viz, from the middle to the end of its stroke, in which lattersituation the' free end of the fork is alloweddto pass over the cross-piece e, and thus, becoming liberated from the effect of this latter, is, by the impulse of the balance-weight P, carried back to the middle of its stroke, from whence the same is again pressed bythe cross-piece e during the-returnstroke of this latter, and thus the arm t carried to the end of its return-stroke. vThe length of the arm t to the end of the fork t' is to be such, that on the rodT reaching the end of its stroke, this fork t becomes liberv ated from the cross-piece e, andthus allows of the arm vt being carriedv backlinto the vertical position bythe `effect of the balance-weight P, which latter has been lifted by thev advancing of the rod T, and consequent turning ofthe arbor o. At the moment the fork t is to become liberated from the oross-piece e,the rod F rests I with its under side on the arc s', which latter is in that moment situated entirely on one side of the tappet g, -so that when, after the liberating of the fork t', the weight P causes the arc s to turn, this latter, pressing against the tappet q, will vcause this tappet to advance, and, by means of the connecting-rod F, procure-the turning of the cock RLuntil-the eccentric part o'f the arc s lifts this rod F suiliciently high for the tappet q to be again set free from the arc s', which is to take place at the moment thec'ock Ris to be turned, for inverting the conditions of entrance and exit of the'water into and from the gauger A.

In iig. 3, the rod T, the lever s t, the weight P, and other movable parts, are shown at the end'of the forward stroke of the diaphragm D. Thelever st is shown liberated from the arc s/and ready for driving forwardv the rod F, in order to procure the turningof the cock R. The red lines ing. 5 show theiposition of the movable parts at the end of the return or opposite stroke of the diaphragm,

Any of the well-known means may be resorted to in this apparatus, for preventing'the concussion or hydraulic shock which forcibly will take place whilst the cock or valve isreversing its motion, and during the short period the entire of the lports is shut.' I prefer, however, for this purpose, to makense of the arrangement'represented in iig. 6. A pipe, Jl,connectingv together the entrance anldldelivery-pipes G and H, is

provided with two shells, forming a chamber, Jl, 'betweentheiianges z' of` which is fixed an elastic diaphragm, J, of India rubber,l'which, when the concussion takes placeyyields to the pressure of the water, and immediately afterwards resumes its normal state. If required, this diaphragm J2 might be provided on the top with 1 a suitable weight, which, in the normal state, keeps the diaphragm depressed in the chamber J1.

It will be obvious, from what has been above described, that various modifications might be adopted in the mechanical arrangements of the apparatus for operating, by means of a Weight or ofra spring, and in consequence of the to-and-fro motion ofY the diaphragm D, the turning of thc cock R` at the moments the conditions of entrance and exit of the water into and from the gauger are to be reversed.

The figs. 7 and 8 show in` what manner a four-way slide-'valve, K, might be made use of instcad ofthe cock R. The slide L of the valve might be provided with a rack, Z, ingear with a pinion, j, to the axis j of which might be fixed the arm s, to be worked by the rod F, inthe manner as above described.

In my improved meters,` the air tends to accumulate in the upper portion of the gauger, whereas the sedimentary matters will'more particularly collect in the lower portion. Thev air might be easily expelled by connecting, by means of a small pipe, the upper pat'of eachv of the shells, A1 and A2, respectively, with the corresponding entrance and delivery-pipes E1 and E2. The sedimentary matters may be got rid of by providing, at the bottom of each shell, a small grate or perforated plate, y, leading into a small discharge-pipe, yf, pro-4 vided with al stop-cock, y2; or screvv-plug, or by connecting these discharge-pipes, respectively, with the pipes El and E2. 4

Instead of. having the gaugerA in the vertical position, viz., as shown in the drawings, the same might he situated horizontally, and in that case the iveight of the diaphragm D be balanced by connecting the end of thel rod T, by means of a chain or string passing over a pulley, to a suitable balance-weight.

In the drawings, the counter, index, or registering-trains, for 4indicating the number of motions or pulsationspe'rformed by thediaphragm D, and consequently. the volume of the liquid passed through the gauger, hasV not been represented, the same eiering nothing particular, and being similar to other apparatus ofthe same kind. The said index may receive motion from the rod T, the coc-k R, or any other suitable movable part, by any suitable mechanical means. Y

Havingthus described the nature of my improvements in liquid-meters, or apparatus for gauging or.measuring and registering the volume of liquid flowing, under pressure, through pipes or other channels,

What I claim thereinas new, and desire tol secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination with the shallow' gauging-vessel, divided into two compartments by an elastic diaphragm, whiclfmoves to and fro therein, by the pressure of` the liquid on one side and then on the other side thereof, a

Vmechanism constructed and operated substantially as herein described,for putting the compartments in alternate communication with the'en'trance and exit-pipes or passages, as and for the purpose hereinvv described.

ER. DU BOYS.`

Witnesses:

H. Dsvrs,V A. G. BRADE. 

